Spring clip fabric ammunition belt



Jan. 4, 1949. s. r; BIXBY SPRING CLIP FABRIC AMMUNITION BELT Filed Aug. 19, 1944 Tl'nixh aaWwMM mumm Patented Jan. 4, 1949 OF F IiCE.

23573803 SPRING CIZIPf'FABRIC AMMUNITION BELT GuyxTIBixby, Daytomflliioia Application August 19, ,1944,'. SerialN0. 550395" s claim-: (01.894 -35 (Granted; under. the act of Marc1t,3,:, 1883, as amended April"; 30;; 192s c 370 o'; .G. 757 r The ..invention described; hereinmmayybe, manurefacturedl-and..-usedtbyvor:forlcthe Government for: governmental purposes; without ttheepayment to? met-oft. any royal tyJ-thereon:

'I'hissinvention. relatesto-ammunition belts and 1 is cparticularly concerned, with' an improvement: im fabric. or: woven ammunitiombelts= although it; also-has: application? other: :types.-- of beltssin which. difficulty=- is; encounteredz in. adequately;- grippjng the cartridges.

Fabric; a-mmunitionqbeltss woven; fronrzvegeta+ blefiber: andzrprovided' EW-llihE'POCkEllS f orirreoeiving: individual rounds-n of; ammunition; haven proved: themselvesto .bewof pconsiderable :worth :and .exe ceedingly efiicient ,in 'certalrr-types-of" operations andzapplicatio-nsa However,- belts ofthi's type-havez notbeen highly successfulforause im-aircraftmachin'evgnn zinstallationsz for a spluralityroiireasonsiincluding their; inabilityyto uniformly 'clasp and? hold. thee individual cartridgesrwith the ccorrecti. degree: of firmness a; feature: which :.is accented; by rapid:- ch-angevini a.-.- plane's: course": or speeds. Factors: contributing -primarily;- to .:this' inability to consistently appropriately; gripathe: cartridges areatwo characteristicsuofirthecfabric:bel-tfwhiclr have-heretofore been -.considered 'toc-bevinherentt; therein; namely; inabilityqto: providey in": manufaoture;,precisiorr uni'formityg iwthessi-ze. of the? numeroustcartridgecpockets andcishrinkagezofithec belt when atmospheric conditions are highlya'hua mid. or.- thee belt nhas: become-..- appreciablm'damp from= .other-;cause.

As .:will fibe-obvious;,variationrirr:thecsize;of'thes ammunitionrpockets. meanssvariation intth'ezfirma ness-of: theegrip -with whichvtheevarions pockets-- hold-:therrespective"roundsmi zammunitiomsozthat in .aparticular beltrsome pockets hold the' cartridges: witlripreciselyrthe:desired amounttof cleavage whereas-others mayholdltheirgcartri'dgesz.

Another. objectiof-ltl'iis.invention .i-s tor-provide, aiabric .b elt which'grips the. cartridges with sub.- stantially=thesame degree. of tenacity whenwet as :when :-dry.

Another object oiamy invention is to. provide an amnmn-i-tiona :belt .of-. .the .fabric type Whichis adaptedto griproundsof ammunition sufiiciently, accurately to aenablesitstuse. in aircraft machine imninstallationa Still another object of this invention is toteach. ammunition .belt construction which is adapted to provide: substantially. uniformr cartridge. grip, 1 in: a beltotherwise lacking inathisregard.

Yetafurther object of-.m-y;invention..iseto pro.-

' vide at novel-procession assembling .a belt ..WhiCh embodies my pref erred-construction;

In its :preferred vf orm' :my invention comprises a standard fabric-ammunition .belt having, spaced pockets. for receiving-individual roundsof am-.

munition, said pockets being restrictediin-lthec sections: which re ceive the 'necks' or .sma-ll diameterv portions of" the: cartridges; Encircling these restrictedz neck; portions of the pockets; spring;- rings are-provided which, in a simple form, 00m".

prise strands of ;spring;. metal formed into gen erally circular :rings 1- having, (their. respective ends e overlapping each-. otherr. 'I'hesaid spring-rings are :sosized or dimensionedas to snugly press the adjacent. portionsvot theuneck. sections-of. the pockets"? a-gai-nstthe; respectivecartridge necks" whereby the said cartridgesrarerheld-invthe secure grips 'of the -said spring rings:

In 'order that a.-. clear andv concise: explanation of my invention-may,- :be :given; reference is made to-the accompanying drawings 5 f Orm-ing; a-.part"of this specification, in: which:

Figureel I issa fragmentary=-perspective view of 1 a-:: cartridge :belt fabricated; inv accordance-.with: the-preferred form of myi'invention, a cartridge,

too. firmly; for-:stheaextractions,facflitieszprovided:2' -i showm in o f the pockets of in.- thesgun-r and:Istill;otherss-may'rfail:to:exert' a:

sufficient grip upon the cartridges:atozretaimthemr in their proper positions in the belt.

With-respectto. the-.effect--.of Ith'e belts becoming said belt Ii Figures- 2 i-s-aatlongitudinal sectional view taken: onrthe line --2=.2:of.1=igure*3;.

Figure-:8 As ar=transverse sectional view'taken r.

saturated. or partially saturated, .suclm a: condii-w on'th'e-line 3+3 ofiFJgure 2 7- tion,- frequently; causes; a: belt which: normallw holds the cartridgesrWith:approximately;the de sired:degreer-onfirmness tos'gripcthem with" such'. tenacity that extraction from the belti-sssnbstan tia-llmimpossible withzthe-Mcilities normallypro vided :fo-r the1--op eratiom.

It.-is.-.\an1. obtieotzoi ithissinvemtiomtoi provide; a fabric beltimwhichrtheisuccessive roundsmi-iama m nnitionrarei. eachigrippediwithxsubstantially. the saaneedegreesoizfirmnessa:

Figurereerisz andetailed:perspectivezview "of .one ofqtheaspringzwiresrings or rclipsrincorporated inthe construction shown in Figure 1; and

Figure? 5 isa-a detailed perspective; view: of a modified formvof'i'ring;

, Referringanowsmore 'specificallyitolzthe adrawingz. and?especiailytocFiguresd andztthereof; thezbelt'i. body hass been. design'atedcgenerally by thezretera; enoee character: [03: and: comprisesz-za plurality rofii runszorzrstrlps- .l l 2;;of'web; fabric'ztattachedfr' Restricted sections ll of the pockets l3 are provided by attach- I ing the runs 1 l and I2 to one another at junctures.

[8 which are spaced a lesser distance apart than are the attachment means l3. The means for fastening the strips or runs of web together may, of course, be of any suitable nature such, for example, as crossing and/or interweaving; the said runs may even be sewed together. On the other hand the belt body may comprise a single relatively thick web having pockets woven or cut therein.

The belt body thus far described is well known in the art and has been illustrated by me here for the purpose of demonstrating a preferred embodiment of my invention. The spring rings l9 shown in the drawing each comprises a single strand of spring wire formed into general ring shape and having its ends 20 and 2| overlapping for an appreciable distance. Inspection of Figure 1 discloses that the said spring rings [9 are disposed adjacent and about the neck portions '11 of the pockets of the belt penetrating the runs l l and J2 at two points, namely, approximately coincident with the two fastening junctures l8 bounding the respective necks I'I, so'that a portion of each said ring is disposed on one side of the web runs H and I2 and another portion thereof is disposed on the other side of said runs.

Each ring I9 is so dimensioned with relation to the size of the neck of the particular caliber and style of cartridge which the belt of which said ring is a part is designed to receive that it exerts a substantial gripping effect upon said cartridge neck when the thicknesses of the portions of the webs II and I2 comprising the restricted pocket section I! are disposed between said ring and said cartridge neck in the manner illustrated in Figure 1.

All of the rings l9 being formed to the same size, it will be apparent that the tenacity of the grip exerted upon each of the successive cartridges is substantially uniform regardless of the precise sizes of the respective pockets. Also, the compression grip or modulus of resistance to deflection of said metal spring rings l9 being substantially unaffected by humidity it is possible to prepare the belt of my invention so that the grip or cleavage exerted upon the cartridges is substantially constant whether the belt is wet or dry. This latter effect is secured by providing pockets of a size such that even when shrunk they do not cling excessively to the cartridges.

The novel process which I have conceived for preparing my belt comprises the steps of preparing the fabric or web'body portion including the pockets l4, with the restricted sections H, in any suitable manner, providing orifices through the belt on each side of each of the restricted or neck pocket sections, as with an awl, and threading the rings l9 through the orifices thus provided, either in a preformed condition or prior to having been pressed into their final forms. In the latter event each of said rings is, of course, preferably given the general configuration of a ring after being threaded into the aforesaid orifices of the belt.

The modified ring illustrated in Figure is provided with a sharpened end 2011 which enables installation of the ring in the belt body'without the prior preparation of orifices for receiving said ring. The sharpened end is employed as a needle point to itself pierce the webbing of thebody-of the belt, first on one side and then on the other side of the neck section of the pocket as the ring is rotated to effect its complete installation in the belt body in a manner which will be clearly apparent. If desired both ends of the ring may be formed with points.

While desirable from certain standpoints, the provision of sharpened ends, or even a sharpened end, on each ring is somewhat hazardous from the standpoint of danger to the operator of the gun using the belt.

A further modification exemplified in the ring shown in Figure 5 comprises the laterally disposed prongs or barbs 22 and 23 which serve to positively locate the ring in the belt after it has been installed. As will be evident from scrutiny of the drawing, the said barbs as shown serve to engage a surface of the belt body ill to prevent rotation of the ring in either direction. If desired the number of such prongs may be varied.

While I have found the simple metallic spring ring shown in detail in the drawing to be entirely adequate and while it is highly efficient from the standpoints of simplicity of preparation and cost, it may, of course, be replaced by other types of inserts adapted to perform the same general function; for example, elastic may be employed as may also other suitably resilient material. Even a substantially rigid closed ring may be used with an appreciable degree of satisfaction; in that case the cartridge is held primarily due to fric tion resulting from a tight fit. If a resilient metal ring or other form of resilient metal insert be employed it may, obviously vary substantially from ring [9 shown for illustrative purposes.

My invention is, of course, in no way limited to a particular construction for the web body portion of the belt and the point at which the resilient insert is applied may be greatly varied. For example, it may be so disposed as to grip the body of the cartridge rather than the neck thereof and/or it may be arranged within the belt pocket so that it directly engages the cartridge.

While I have described my invention as partic' ularly applicable to fabric belts formed from vegetable fiber, it may be employed with belts formed of other types of fiber and it may even be used in connection with belts which are not of the web type at all, in which diificulty in correctly and consistently gripping the cartridges is experienced.

Although the foregoing discourse has been devoted to description of certain specific embodiments of my invention, together with several modifications thereof, in order to provide a clear teaching of my invention and my novel process for preparing the preferred form thereof, it is clear that numerous additionalmodifications and eliminations will occur to one skilled in the art, and this without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. It is therefore desired to be limited herein only by the prior art and the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An ammunition belt comprising a body having a plurality of fabric cartridge-receiving means including a plurality of cartridge pockets each having a longitudinal axis, and a plurality of separate spring rings, one for each cartridge pocket, anchored to-said body and constructed and arranged to encircle each said cartridge pocket in a plane normal to said longitudinal axis to at least indirectly and individually grip cartridges disposed in said receiving means.

a cartridge pocket having a longitudinal axis, said cartridge pocket being provided with a restricted coaxial portion generally conforming to the neck portion of a cartridge to be carried thereby, and a spring rin anchored to said body and encircling the exterior of the restricted portion of said cartridge pocket normal to the longitudinal axis thereof to resiliently reinforce said restricted portion for increasing the gripping action thereof on a cartridge.

3. An ammunition belt comprising a fabric body having a fabric cartridge-receiving means including a cartridge pocket having a longitudinal axis, and a disjoined or discontinuous spring ring, having at least one of its ends sharpened and passed through said body and constructed and arranged to encircle said cartridge pocket in a plane normal to said longitudinal axis thereof for indirectly gripping a cartridge disposed in said receiving means.

4. An ammunition belt comprising a body having a fabric cartridge-receiving means including a cartridge pocket having a longitudinal axis, a disjoined or discontinuous spring ring passed through said body and constructed and arranged to encircle said cartridge pocket in a plane normal to said longitudinal axis thereof for indirectly gripping a cartridge disposed in said receiving means, and a protuberance on said spring ring engaging said body for locating said spring ring.

5. An ammunition belt comprising a body having a fabric cartridge-receiving means including a cartridge pocket having a longitudinal axis, and auxiliary gripping means connected to said body and positioned exteriorly of said cartridge pocket in a plane normal to said longitudinal axis and constructed and arranged to exert a resilient restricting action on said cartridge pocket to increase the effectiveness of said receiving means to grip a cartridge disposed therein.

6. An ammunition belt comprising a body having a fabric cartridge-receiving means including a cartridge pocket having a longitudinal axis, said cartridge pocket being provided with a coaxial restricted section generally conforming to the contour of the neck of a cartridge to be carried thereby, and auxiliary gripping means connected to said body and positioned exteriorly of the restricted section of said cartridge pocket normal to the longitudinal axis thereof and constructed and arranged to exert a resilient contudinal axes, the inherent constructions of which cartridge pockets are such that they lack ability to at all times maintain uniformly correct control over the positions of the cartridges received thereby, and a plurality of individual auxiliary stabilizer means, one for each receiving means, connected to said belt and encircling each said cartridge pocket normal to the respective longitudinal axis thereof and constructed of relatively stiff but resilient material and arranged to exert a confining pressure on said respective L cartridge pockets for aifecting the positions of cartridges carried thereby.

8. In an ammunition belt, a plurality of receiving means for cartridges including a plurality of cartridge pockets having parallel longitudinal axes, the inherent constructions of which cartridge pockets are such that they lack ability to at all times maintain uniformly correct control over the positions of the cartridges received by them, and a plurality of individual auxiliary spring rings, one for each receiving means, connected to said belt and encircling each said cartridge pocket normal to the respective longitudinal axis thereof, constructed of relatively stiff but resilient material and arranged to exert a confining pressure on said respective cartridge pockets to indirectly grip cartridges carried thereby.

GUY T. BIXBY.

, file of this patent:

: Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date 628,871 Trochain July 11, 1899 932,787 Kirby Aug. 31, 1909 1,288,261 Stimpson Dec. 1'7, 1918 2,008,156 Rottum July 16, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 312,418 Germany May 24, 1919 

